Meet Lauren Aigner-Westervelt | Tattoo Artist & Fine Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Lauren Aigner-Westervelt and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lauren, what role has risk played in your life or career?
I believe that taking risks is imperative as a person, and especially as an artist. After I graduated college with my BFA in Graphic Design, I moved to New York City. I was already curious about the tattoo industry at this time, but I was applying for junior designer positions. Simultaneously I ended up in the final interview stages with an advertising company, and with the opportunity to start as a manager at a well-know tattoo studio in Brooklyn. The “safe” option would easily have been to accept the design position, but I felt something pushing me toward tattooing. So I took the risk (despite others opinions), and it wasn’t easy at times, but looking back, it’s one of the best choices I’ve made. I worked 7 days a week across 3 jobs to make ends meet while apprenticing. With time, I met the right mentors, found my style, and ended being able to devote myself purely to tattooing.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Since I can remember, I’ve always been an artist. Growing up, my Mom was an accountant who loved art, and she always encouraged me from a young age to pursue creativity. I tried a lot of other things, even being a division 1 athlete in college, but I always came back to art, and felt most like myself when drawing or painting. Studying Graphic design really helped me learn about composition, typography, and influenced my design style.

Breaking into the tattoo industry as I mentioned before wasn’t easy. It was a big risk – I faced a lot of rejection and skepticism, but it takes persistence, and you really have to want it. Tattooing is hard work, physically and mentally, and there’s a lot of pressure since it’s permanent artwork on someone’s body.

I love mixing fine detailed realism with line-work, negative space, and making sure there is a flow with the piece and the body. Another theme in my work is animals and wildlife. I’ve always been an animal lover, and I’ve been vegan for 7 years. So using art to connect people with animals, whether it’s a pet portrait, or their favorite bird, is something that I love.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
There are endless things to do in New York City – but some of my favorites are to grab coffee at Devoción in Williamsburg, stop by the tattoo studio I work at, Atelier Eva, and walk through Domino Park. Then head over to West Village and do some shopping, and up to Chelsea Market. Theres endless museums in NYC, the Neue Galerie has a lot of Gustav’s Klimt’s work, and the MOMA always has some interesting exhibitions. I would also try to see a Sofar Sounds show, and go to Comedy Cellar to see a show.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Laura Martinez, (IG@nothingwildtattoo) was the first person in the industry to give me a shot. She really believed in me, and helped guide me through the early stages of my tattooing journey. (Emrah Ozhan, IG@emrahozhan) was my first mentor who helped teach me the basics, and gave me feedback on my work. He’s an incredible tattooer with decades of experience, so learning from him was such a valued opportunity. My husband Jakob, brother Daniel, and my best friend Jenny were the people that always encouraged me to keep going.

Website: https://lawinktattoo.com/

Instagram: law_ink

Image Credits
The first image is by photographer Adam Barabas (IG@adambarabas), others I have credit for.